Gait assessment for the dog requires a working knowledge of the various gaiting patterns that are normal for the dog. Each breed of dog is meant to do some type of work. The lap dog will have a structure that is suited for sitting in a lap and hopping up and down off of the couch or someones lap, the Greyhound is built for speed, a Rottweiler is built for pulling power and strength, a field dog is built to chase fox or flush out game etc. etc.. Function and form work hand in hand and must be balanced to meet the working needs of the dog in question. There are seven basic types of dogs:

Once we have checked the dogs conformation by posing them and checking the angles of the forelimb, hindlimb, pelvis and neck, checked the top line, pads, toes, face and other static structural features of the dog; we will want to see how these structural parts operate in kinetic motion. We will need a few tools to work with:

1. Video camera with tripod (Your cell phone will work if that is all you have)

2. Leash

3. A surface for the dog to walk on that is not to hot in the summer like an empty parking lot or the track at the high school football field. A long grassy short cut field would work as long as you can see the dogs foot strike. A long flat sandy beach would help show you the footfall patterns if you are near and uncrowded beach. It is best to pick a quiet time when there is not a lot of distraction for the dog. Pick a time of day when the dog is not to energetic if they are young and if they are old mid-morning would be best so that they have some time for their joints to warm up and they won’t be to tired.

4. A Chuck It or something for the dog to chase if they are full of energy and need to be calmed down a little. If you can get the dog to run and play around before checking the gait you will start to see the weak areas better when they get tired. For dogs that are older or don’t like chasing balls and running around you can check the gait right away.

5. A checklist of gait and conformation irregularities. Click here for a sample form.

6. A friend to help you walk the dog while you film the dog or someone who can film the dog while you walk them.

7. Some treats for the dog to keep them interested in doing what you want them to do.

Once you have the dogs energy settled down whoever is filming the dog should set up so that they are not filming into the sun or shade and the person who is handling the dog should walk away from the camera person while they are filming. The handler should not talk to the dog but should just walk calmly forward at a pace that will not rush the dog. The handler should walk far enough that the camera person can get a nice long shot of the dog walking away. The handler should them turn around and walk back to the camera person. Do this at least three times. The camera person should then set up to take film footage of each side of the dog as they are coming and going. The dog handler will have to switch sides so that they will not be in the way of the camera. Next we want to film the dog while it is chasing a ball or running without the handler if possible. If the dog is not a ball chaser the handler can run with the dog on the leash and the film person should set up for coming and going shots of both sides and both ends of the dog. It would be very helpful for the person who will be analyzing the gait to watch the dog without filming as well. It is easier sometimes to pick irregularities in the gait out without the camera. For dogs who are working dogs we can film them in the actions that they are bred for and get a better idea of what is and is not working correctly. For an agility dog we should film them during training, for a herding dog we should film them while they are herding etc. etc. Filming the dog while they are not distracted and to controlled will give us a clearer picture of how they are moving.

Once we have all the film we need and have finished noting what we are seeing on our checklist we should load the film onto a computer and look at it in full speed while taking notes of what we see and noting at what time in the timeline we see the gaiting irregularities. We can then start to look at these noted places in the timeline in slow motion to get a better picture of what is going on under the skin. Once we have all of our notes documented we should do some research on the breed of dog we are working with to make sure that the gaiting irregularities that we are seeing are not bred into this specific breed of dog to serve a functional purpose. At this point we could do an online search on Youtube and see if we can find a few videos to compare the dog we are examining to. The breed registries will also have some good information on what the breed should look like in motion and for those of you who are really motivated I suggest you buy Dog Steps by Rachel Page Elliot and Dog Locomotion and Gait Analysis by Curtis Brown and study them more then once.

For mixed breed dogs we will have a harder time figuring out what is the correct conformation and gait of the dog but we should be able to see where things are not working correctly when we compare the different quadrants in motion and see what looks out of balance.

For a good look at the different gaits of the dog you should go to this website and study it as much as possible until you can see the gaiting patterns and can name them when you see the dog use them in the field. Kinesiology of the dog is a very large subject and obviously it can’t be covered in a single blog or class. Generally after we have gathered the information from static conformation and kinetic movement we should start to look at the bones, muscles, past pathological conditions, surgeries and repetitive use patterns that might be causing the gaiting irregularities. In the next blog we will look at the steps we should take to track down the causes of the problems and how to make a treatment plan to address these problems.